Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Tag: reading

Guest Post by Tom Williams: “Oh I Never Read Historical Novels…”

I have an excellent blog for you today from my fellow Accent author, Tom Williams.

Over to you Tom…

I write historical novels. So, I hate it when people say “Oh, I never read Historical Novels.” Why not? “Because they are all too romantic.” But I don’t write Historical Romance. No matter: the conversation has moved on.

Or perhaps they don’t read Historical Novels because they’re not interested in the Tudors, or knights in armour? But my stories are set in the 19th century. It makes no difference: they don’t read Historical Novels and that’s that.

TW1

It’s annoying, but don’t we all have these gaps in our reading experience? For me, it’s Historical Romance. I can’t face it. I’ve tried – I’ve really tried, but I just can’t make it through to the end. She notices his well-turned calf, the sweat glistens on the muscles of his arm or her heart beats at the thought of his tender yet manly kiss and I give in and read no further. And the awful thing is that the author may not even have used any of these clichés, but there’s something about this particular genre that has me imagining them whether or not they are there on page. I admitted this in public and was taken to task by a Historical Romance writer who pointed out that her stories are well researched, nicely written and featured often quite complex characters in interesting social situations. She was right and I’m wrong. I am going to give her books another go, but I suspect that, once again, I will give up.

Why do we all have genres that we just don’t read? The obvious suggestion is that it has something to do with “books for men” and “books for women”. In my case, though, this is far from being the case – I love contemporary Chick Lit. I’ve even been known to tackle a book by that Jenny Kane. Perhaps it’s the background to the stories? But I write historical novels myself and I read other people’s historical novels set in all sorts of periods. So why this mental block with Historical Romance?

The problem does seem to be with the genre and not the book. This is particularly clear with people who sniffily announce that they would never read, for example, Harry Potter because “I don’t read books for children.” Publishers responded by putting an “adult” cover on the Harry Potter series and, lo and behold! adults were suddenly happy to read them. The same result can be achieved more subtly: my wife, for example, doesn’t read Science Fiction, unless “it’s someone like Ursula Le Guin, who’s writing really good books – not really just Science Fiction.” Well, yes, Lord Copper – up to a point. What, I think, the most honest of us will eventually decide is that if the book is a “good” book but placed in a genre that we don’t read, will simply reclassify it. So Bridget Jones is not Chick Lit, it’s Social Comedy; John Grisham doesn’t write rubbishy Crime Stories, he writes the altogether superior Legal Thrillers.

Part of the reason that we are so strict about what genres we will and won’t allow ourselves to enjoy is, I think, that the books that we will admit to reading – proudly displayed on our bookshelves, unlike that rubbishy thing consigned to the bedside table – say something about us. In a world where mass entertainment is, arguably, increasingly democratised, books are still one of the great class markers. I have a friend who runs an online group where people can discuss their reading matter. Apparently all these people read massively more James Joyce, Chekhov,  Peter Ackroyd, HE Bates, Guy De Maupassant, and Albert Camus than they do Agatha Christie or Dan Brown. (I swear I’m not making this up and nor are members of the group all graduates from an English Department.) Admitting to liking a particular genre makes you a member of a particular club. The genre is far more important than the book. We see the same applied to individual writers. “Oh Dickens is such a wonderful author.” Well, many of his books certainly are fine examples of English literature. It doesn’t take a particularly critical reader, though, to see that some of them are definitely better than others. But to explain that you consider this or that book to be deserving of critical approval and another one to show signs of having been written to a deadline on a bad day, calls for more discussion and analysis than we can tolerate when deciding whether people do or don’t fit into our social group. What we want in social markers is a straightforward way of deciding whether we are in or out of the Magic Circle of social acceptability.

As an author, Jenny provides an interesting (and surprisingly common) example of the importance of keeping our genres separate. Jenny Kane writes Contemporary Romance – Chick Lit if you will – where we follow a young woman through the unfolding of her relationship until we reach, hopefully, a happy conclusion. But Jenny has a dark side. She also writes about young women whose romantic journey is accompanied by whips and chains and practices that we do not discuss in polite society. So important is it to keep these two genres completely separate that she produces the more lively novels under a different name. Mills and Boon, faced with the same problem, put their – actually rather well-written – erotica under a completely different imprint. After all, when my maiden aunt tells me that she really enjoys Mills and Boon, it’s important that I know exactly what sort of Mills and Boon she is into.

I suspect, then, that this is at least part of the answer of why we will respond warmly to some genres and reject others out of hand. Like so many things in England, it’s a matter of class. And now I am aware of that, I hope that I will try to restrain my prejudices. If I’m faced with a Historical Romance in which credible characters form realistic relationships against an authentic historical background, I will persevere. I might even come to love it. Perhaps we should all try to read things outside the genres that we are comfortable to say that we like. Reading, after all, should be about broadening the mind. So let’s try to broaden our own minds.

Perhaps I should try something by that Kay Jaybee

***

Tom Williams

Bio:

Have you ever noticed how many authors are described as ‘reclusive’? I have a lot of sympathy for them. My feeling is that authors generally like to hide at home with their laptops or their quill pens and write stuff. If they enjoyed being in the public eye, they’d be stand-up comics or pop stars. Nowadays, though, writers are told that their audiences want to be able to relate to them as people. I’m not entirely sure about that. If you knew me, you might not want to relate to me at all. But here in hyperspace I apparently have to tell you that I’m young and good looking and live somewhere exciting with a beautiful partner, a son who is a brain surgeon and a daughter who is a swimwear model. Then you’ll buy my book.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite true. I’m older than you can possibly imagine. (Certainly older than I ever imagined until I suddenly woke up and realised that age had snuck up on me.) I live in Richmond, which is nice and on the outskirts of London which is a truly amazing city to live in. My wife is beautiful but, more importantly, she’s a lawyer, which is handy because a household with a writer in it always needs someone who can earn decent money. My son has left home and we never got round to the daughter.

I street skate and ski and can dance a mean Argentine tango. I’ve spent a lot of my life writing about very dull things for money (unless you’re in Customer Care, in which case ‘Dealing With Customer Complaints’ is really, really interesting). Now I’m writing for fun. If you all buy my books, I’ll be able to finish the next ones and I’ll never have to work for the insurance industry again and that will be a good thing, yes? So you’ll not only get to read a brilliant novel but your karmic balance will move rapidly into credit.

Can I go back to being reclusive now?

***

Many thanks Tom- what a fantastic blog! If you do try some of that Jaybees work, make sure you have a cool drink to hand…

You can find Tom’s latest novel, here-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Burke-Bedouin-Majestys-Confidential-Agent-ebook/dp/B00OIYY8U2  http://www.amazon.com/Burke-Bedouin-Majestys-Confidential-Agent-ebook/dp/B00OIYY8U2.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Love, Life and Great Women Writing: Come and Meet Katie Fforde, Alice Raine- and Me!

manor_cropped

I am flattered, honoured, and delighted to have been invited to be a member of the panel at the following event- with Katie Fforde no less- at the stunning Manor House Hotel, Moreton-in-the Marsh, Cotswolds.

Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde

Diary of Events at The Manor House Hotel, in conjunction with Richard Kemp from Books Yule Love

Thursday 12th February

With a choice between two great guest speakers:

Join Katie Fforde and panel for an evening of Love,

Life and Great Women Writing

Ticket Price £25

Katie Fforde

Ever since Jane Austin first published, novels

of love, life and social complexity have

dominated British reading. Best-selling

Cotswold author Katie Fforde effortlessly

reinvents the modern romantic novel’s appeal

with the light touch and great voice she brings

to each of her works. Award-winning, crosscutting

novelists Jenny Kane and Alice Raine

join their wit, wisdom, wonder and worth to

Katie’s for an unforgettable evening of great

British writing today.

Admission includes a glass of wine and Katie Fforde’s new hardback

‘A Vintage Wedding’. New hardbacks and classic paperbacks from Katie

& co. are available at heart-melting prices for on-the-spot signing!

vintage wedding- k fforde

****

I have been a massive fan of Katie Fforde since I first read her wonderful novel, ‘The Rose Revived’, so you can imagine how excited I am to be taking part in this event.

With Accent Press manager and owner, Hazel Cushion, hosting the panel, and Alice Raine bringing in a hint of hot romance, it is going to be a wonderful evening in a gorgeous Cotswold setting- so fitting for me after the best selling success of Christmas in the Cotswolds!!

Tickets can be booked now from-

The Manor House Hotel, High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh,

Gloucestershire GL56 0LJ

Tel: 01608 650501 Email: info@manorhousehotel.info

www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/manor

 

We would all love to see you there!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Happy New Year!

2014

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I hope you all had a great evening last night- and you’re not feeling too much the worse for wear!!

As I sit here cradling my habitual cup of black coffee, I can’t help thinking back over 2014. What a year it was!

Coffee smile

Beginning with the writing of Romancing Robin Hood last January to May, 2014 then gave me the re-release of Another Cup of Coffee into bookshop paperback format! Then came the release of Romancing Robin Hood, and my first children’s picture book, There’s A Cow In the Flat. Hot on the heels of that I wrote Christmas in the Cotswolds– the third in my ‘Another Cup of…’ series.

To my total surprise and delight, Christmas in the Cotswolds was a best seller in the Amazon charts for several weeks.

Romancing Robin HoodACOcoffee FRONT 2014Christmas in the Cotswolds

Once I’d finished writing my Christmas story, back in August, I began penning my next novel-  Abi’s House– which brings us bang up to date!

Abi’s House– a Cornish tale of romance and friendship- will be out in the spring! In the meantime, I have already started work on the novel which will come out after that one!

Another Glass of Champagne will be the next- full length- sequel to Another Cup of Coffee. I am so excited about this novel- and although all I’ve written is the chapter plan- I can’t wait to tell you what Amy, Kit, Megan, Peggy and Jack do next…

I also have some new children’s books coming out later this year. Stay tuned for details of Ben’s Biscuit Tin and Joe’s Letter!!!

There's a Cow in the Flat

Thanks to all you lovely people- all your kind words about my writing- all the book sales you’ve helped me build up- it is looking like 2015 is going to be just as wonderful as 2014 was!! Fingers crossed!!

Happy New Year

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

 

 

Location Research Time

I’ve never been a big researcher. Okay, that’s not entirely true- I used to be a researcher- therefore, when it came to writing the novel Romancing Robin Hood (out late summer 2014), I didn’t have to do any research- because I’d done it all before! Presenting Exhibit A- my PhD!!

PhD page

What I should have said was, I’ve never been big on research when I’m writing my novels, novellas, and short stories. When it comes to my erotica work I’ve always had the knack of knowing what I need to write (I can’t decide if this is a good thing or not, as I certainly don’t have any first hand experience of the BDSM I’d renown for- it’s all instinct!!!), but with my romance work it is a little different.

Anyone who follows my blog will know that I am a serial coffee drinker, and that cafe’s and coffee shops are my home from home. This meant that when it came to writing Another Cup of Coffee and Another Cup of Christmas creating and describing the main location was fairly straight forward. Plus, I shamelessly stole from my own life, people I grew up with, and experiences of life that needed very little research at all.

JK facebook banner

Now however, as I’m about to dive into writing my fourth romance, I can no longer cheat on the research front- I’ve run out of personal experiences to totally and exploit, and consequently I find myself with a list of points to check and double check.

This new novel is to be set in Cornwall, the location of nearly every one of my childhood holidays (okay, so I’m using a tiny bit of real life again), but I am beginning to doubt my memory (old age I suspect!!).

Sennen

So here  I’m sat – on my sofa- wading through old photographs, double checking Google to make sure I have got all the villages, towns, pubs and seaside names I remember from my youth in the right geographical places…and then once I’ve sorted out that, I have to check up how to dismantle a cobblers shop…yes, really…

And the name of this new novel I’m researching?

I’m not telling!! Not yet- you’ll just have to wait and see….

wink

Happy reading everyone!!

Jenny xx

Comfort Reads – What’s Your Book Chocolate?

I’ve always been a big reader, and it is rare for me to have fewer than four books cued up on my bedside table ready for me to get stuck into.

My literary tastes are wide and diverse- I adore Terry Pratchett. I love Scarlett Thomas, Katie Fforde, Judy Astley and Lisa Jewell. I can’t miss a Colin Dexter or an Elizabeth George, and Arianna Franklin’s work fascinates me- and all for very different reasons.

my books 1

Sometimes though, rather than tackling a brand new read, you just need some book chocolate. A story, which perhaps you’ve read twenty times before, but which is guaranteed to make you feel better. A book to curl up with on a cold winter day, after a bad day, or when you just need to read something that you don’t have to think about, because you already know everything is going to be okay!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My number one- “Oh hell it’s been a crap day I need to feel better book”- is The Rose Revived by Katie Fforde. My copy is in a pretty poor state of repair, and several of the pages are stuck back in with sellotape! I know exactly what is going to happen- and I love that fact. I love that I can read the pages with the feeling that I’m indulging in a coffee and an extra bar of chocolate with friends.

Rose Revived 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a child my book equivalent of a comfy pair of slippers was Winnie-The-Pooh, and as a teenager it was The Hooded Man (Robin of Sherwood) by Anthony Horowitz (a fact that won’t surprise you in light of my current WIP- Romancing Robin Hood!!)

Hooded Man 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I decided to take the leap from writing erotica to contemporary romance, my main aim was to produce a book that would make people feel better. To write a story that would sit on a bookshelf, ready to be pulled out in a ‘I need cheering up’ emergency- but without being twee!

Costa ACOC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So you can imagine how delighted I was when I braved a look at Another Cup of Coffee on Amazon the other day to find this comment nestled inside a 5 star review- “…its like a hug in a book…” (The full review is available here- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390980980&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee )

Whether any copy of Another Cup of Coffee will ever get into such a loved mess as my volume of The Rose Revived remains to be seen- but I hope so!!

Do you have a favourite book to cheer you up, or relax you after a tough day? I’d love to hear about it.

Happy Reading

Jenny xx

Nice and Naughty or Naughty and Nice…

Santa’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice is he? Well- I wonder which side of the chocolate coin he’ll decide I’ve come down on this year…because this Christmas I can offer you the choice of nice or naughty….

Jenny Kanekayjaybee-_pic_in_black

My “Nice” side is curtsey of Jenny Kane with…

Another Cup of Christmas– a festive novella sequel to Another Cup of Coffee…

Blurb-

Five years ago the staff of Pickwicks Cafe in Richmond were thrown into turmoil when their cook and part-owner, Scott, had a terrible accident. With help from his friends, his wife Peggy, and the staff at the local hospital, he made an amazing recovery. Now Pickwicks is preparing to host a special Christmas fundraiser for the hospital department that looked after Scott.

Pickwicks’ waitress Megan has been liaising with the ward’s administrator, Nick, as all the staff who helped Scott’s recovery are invited are invited. As the problems of organising the fundraiser take up more and more of their busy lives, Megan and Nick contact each other more frequently, and their emails and phone calls start to develop from the practical into the flirty.

But can you actually fall for someone you’ve never met?

As the fundraiser draws closer, Megan is beginning to think that she had imagined all the virtual flirting between herself and Nick – he promised to arrange to meet her for real, but he hasn’t done so. Now he’s bringing someone with him to the fundraiser, and they’re just bound to be everything Megan feels she isn’t …

ACOChristmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’d like to buy Another Cup of Christmas it is available as a downloads from all good eBook suppliers including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Christmas-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00GMO4ZIQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1384329366&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+christmas+jenny+kane

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Christmas-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00GMO4ZIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384329400&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+christmas

*****

As Kay Jaybee I can most certainly cater for your  “Naughty” side with…

Christmas Kink a collection of five erotic stories penned especially for the festive season. This book is FREE on Amazon until 2nd December!!!!

Blurb-

What’s your favourite part of the Christmas celebration? Decorating the tree with tinsel, the heavenly aroma of cinnamon and fruit from Christmas cakes and puddings, the office Christmas party, a visit to Santa’s grotto, the presents?

Kay Jaybee’s Christmas Kink twists all of these festive traditions into five individual episodes of hot erotica that will leave you fanning yourself with the nearest Christmas card…

Christmas Kink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featuring Santa’s Little Helper, decorations, Cake Mix, Candy at Christmas and the Little Red Dress you can read smutty tales of lustful romance, S&M, pony play, FF action, and more…

You can buy Christmas Kink on Amazon at-

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GI2DDQM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Kink-Five-Festive-Fantasies-ebook/dp/B00GI2DDQM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383810527&sr=8-1&keywords=Christmas+kink+five+festive+fantasies

 

So what will it be dear readers…a little kink, a little comfort reading…or maybe a little bit of both…

Happy festive reading!!

Jenny/Kay xx

 

Strangers on a Train

Okay- so I’ve been a little misleading with the title of the blog. It should really read ‘Strangers on a Platform’- but somehow that doesn’t have the same ring to it- it’s less dramatic somehow!!
Anyway, I digress!!
I’m writing this on a train. A train that’s very delayed due to a combination of failed signals and carriage malfunction. I admit the moment I saw I was to be a hostage to the tiny rather chilled waiting room at Westbury station my heart sank. However, never one to be dismayed for long, I soon struck with conversation with my fellow hostages, most of whom held either paperbacks or kindles.

westbury station

You can see where I’m going with this can’t you!

Always one for a bit of free marketing, and always curious- okay, nosy- about what sorts of reading matter folk favour- I was soon chatting away about the benefits of reading Dexter over Grisham, King over Barker, Fforde over Trollope and Pratchett over just about anyone. The discussion was lively and good natured, and soon the time was flying by, as some lively chap asked if I’d read Fifty Shades of Grey, and I did my very best not to groan.

It was at this point that further time was added to our delay, and the kiosk lady announced we’d all have time for another cup of coffee should we want one….cue my chance to recommend my own book. Who’d have thought my title could be so user friendly!! As you can imagine, I grasped my chance to endorse a certain Jenny Kane.

It’s always weird talking about myself in the third person, as if the story I’m recommending was written by a stranger- and yet, if I’m honest, there is a small kick to be gained when people scribble down the title of your work to try sometime when they aren’t doing it just to be polite because you’ve just told them you wrote it! And, to me, who hates pushing herself forward, it is so much easier to market my work if it doesn’t feel as if I’m showing off!!

ACOC- cover

So, I thought I’d write this little blog to say thank you to those lovely chatty, fellow train-waiters, at Westbury, and to apologise for my subterfuge!!  I hope, if you do read Another Cup of Coffee you thoroughly enjoy it!!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Another Cup of Coffee Character Profile- Jack Brown

Let’s get the low down on Mr Jack Brown…

 

Age– 34

Hair- Brown

Eyes – Hazel

Relationship Status – Serial short term dater

Employment– Owner and part time workers of the Reading Nature bookshop near Kew Gardens in London.

Characteristics– self confident, self indulgent, clever, kind, loves clubbing, drinks as much as coffee as he does beer, uses musical lyrics to help explain his feelings, determined never to get attached enough to someone to get hurt, or more importantly, not to hurt someone else, ever again…

****

The shower thunder cracked a searing hot cascade of water onto Jack’s head. Squeezing far too much shampoo into his hands, he began to viciously scrub his short hair. What the hell had he been thinking? Well, he hadn’t been thinking, had he? He never looked beyond himself. The moment. The day. He was so stupid. So angry with himself.

shower

Why the fuck had he posted that tape? And more immediately, where was he? And how soon was he going to able to get away from whoever it was he’d spent the night with? Jack could feel the familiar sensation of suffocation closing in on him as he abandoned his hair and began to furiously soap his torso.

He was a shit. But then you have to be good at something.

And now Amy was coming here. It hadn’t crossed his mind that she’d visit, let alone physically move south. Not just south, but bloody London. Being back in touch and hopefully forgiven when she was safely tucked away in Scotland was one thing. But here. Face to face. Jack hadn’t banked on that at all.

****

Fifteen years ago Jack Brown was a student studying ecology and botany.

Fourteen years ago Jack met Amy.

Thirteen years ago he broke Amy’s heart.

Then he broke Kit’s heart too- although he doesn’t know that yet…

Now, shocked that the act of returning an old musical tape he’d borrowed from Amy so many years ago has sparked off her return South, Jack is preparing to face his demons. It is finally time to tell Amy why he walked out on her with no explanation what so ever…

 

Learn more about Jack Brown in Another Cup of Coffee– coming soon…

Jenny xx

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